Curried Coconut Soup

This elegant chilled curry soup is silky, fragrant, and completely different from the chunky, hearty curries you might expect. Flaked coconut simmers in milk with curry powder and whole cloves, then gets strained into a smooth, velvety base that’s thickened with tempered egg yolks and served cold.

The straining step is what gives this soup its refined texture. After 15 minutes of simmering, the coconut has released all its fat and flavor into the milk. The strained liquid is rich and creamy without any gritty bits of coconut fiber.

Templering the egg yolks is the technique that matters most here. Stirring a cup of hot milk mixture into the beaten yolks first warms them gradually. If you dump cold yolks directly into the hot pot, they’ll scramble into stringy curds instead of thickening the soup smoothly.

Two whole cloves may sound modest, but they’re potent. Combined with the curry powder, they add a warm, aromatic spice backbone that’s subtle enough to let the coconut shine.

Chef Tips

• Cook the onion and curry powder in water first, not oil. This blooms the curry without adding extra fat, keeping the soup light.
• Stir constantly during the 2-minute thickening step. The egg yolks can curdle if the heat is too high or the stirring stops.
• Chill thoroughly before serving. This soup tastes best cold, when the coconut and curry flavors have had time to meld.
• Toast coconut for the garnish in a dry skillet, watching carefully. It goes from golden to burnt in seconds.

Variations

• Add a squeeze of lime juice before serving for a bright, tropical finish.
• Stir in a spoonful of Thai red curry paste instead of curry powder for a spicier, Southeast Asian twist.
• Serve warm instead of chilled during cooler months for a cozy starter course.